Over the next few years, the Houston Heights roadways will be transformed to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians thanks to an ambitious plan put forth by Mayor Sylvester Turner as part of his Vision Zero plan to end all roadway deaths by 2030. The plan includes adding dedicated lanes for bicycles and pedestrians along the Shepherd-Durham corridor from Interstate 10 to the North Look as well as dedicated lanes along 11th Street from Shepherd to Michaux Street east of Studewood that would connect the paths all the way to Stude Park.
While the Shepherd plan has been approved and awaiting a start date, the 11th Street plan only received its full approval from the Mayor last week. The improvements to Shepherd had been something cheered by neighbors given Shepherd and Durham’s wide four-lane streets. But, some residents and businesses along 11th were not thrilled with changing the street into two lanes plus a turning lane for cars.
In fact, earlier this year, a meeting was held at the popular plant store Buchanan’s Native Plants where residents and businesses aired their grievances. Their complaints ranged from causing a struggle for businesses along the street to more side-street traffic as a result.
Turner even agreed to pause the project for 30 days in May while he listened to arguments for and against. Ultimately, the made the decision to move ahead saying in a statement, “The project will make 11th Street, and the Heights overall, a safer place to walk, to bike and to drive. It will remind everyone that the Heights is a neighborhood for families.”
This comes on the heels of final repairs to the MKT Trail bridge, that had been blocked off due to a fire several years ago. The MKT and Nicholson bikeways are wildly popular, often full of joggers, cyclists and people walking their dogs. The trails are part of the city’s much larger network that runs north to the Beltway and south into downtown and beyond to the University of Houston and Texas Southern University.
Bicycle and urban planning advocates have long begged the city for more resources and focus on pedestrian and bike traffic. With a city that is 600-square miles and known for its car-centric attitudes, that has not been easy, but Houston now boasts miles and miles of dedicated on-street and trail bikeways with loads still under construction.
Construction is set to begin on the Shepherd project between 15th and the North Look this summer with no timeline set yet for 11th Street.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
